Review: Birchbox Subscription Box- February

Birchbox is a subscription box. It's only $14 a month and this month's box came with 6 products.

What was in this box?

Acure Brightening Biocellelulose sheet mask.

Davines MOMO moisturing shampoo.

Dr. Lipp moisturizing lip color tint- made with sweet potato pigments.

R+Co Rodeo Star thickening style foam. 

The Beauty Crop Glow milk liquid highlighter. 

Davines MOMO moisturizing conditioner. 

I liked the shampoo and conditioner even though it had a strange smell. It wasn't unpleasant just strange. The style foam is just mousse and it works well but I don't use mousse unless I put my hair up in a ponytail which isn't often. 

The lip tint is a little weird but an ok pink color. It doesn't stay tinted for long though. The highlighter is nice and blends out with your finger really nicely. I don't really get the bright highlighters but I like the light subtle ones like this one. 

And Oh Joy, another sheet mask. It did exactly what the others have done, nothing. lol 

Did you get this box?

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

I received a sample of Garnier Fructis smoothing hair mask.

I also won a deluxe sample of Water Rose Micellar Cleansing Water in a giveaway. 

And I won a book in a Goodreads Giveaway. 

And I won a luggage tag from Marlboro giveaway. 

____

I've used the Garnier smoothing hair mask before and it works just like a smoothing conditioner. It's a good product. I'm looking forward to getting my prize from that contest. I've been playing everyday for a few weeks so it was nice to win. The book looks interesting so I hope it's a good one. 

Did you receive any freebies or wins this week?

Review: A Valentine's Book Coupling by Trinity Blacio and Lia Violet

Book Description

Two Paranormal Valentine’s Day Novellas!

The Cupid Crush by Lia Violet

Librarian Lucy’s teen volunteer group does not want anything red or pink with cute sayings to celebrate love, and she is in total agreement. At their Un-Valentine party, they crush candy hearts with a hammer even while making cards and nice decorations for the Cupid's Dance veteran fundraiser.

Mack is helping remodel the local VFW hall after a fire before a big Valentine’s Day fundraiser, but this is the busy season for him and his Cupid shifter siblings.  When he goes to the library to ask for help for the veterans’ event, Mack is surprised to find that even Cupid can be struck by the arrow.

Cupid Hits the Local VFW by Trinity Blacio

Red Riding had heard it all. At 58, been married with kids and was now widowed. She wasn’t done with life, but she also wanted to make a difference. However, the little weasel at the Volunteer agency’s sick sense of humor really pissed her off, sending her into the local Wolf VFW to help organize a Cupid’s Dance for a bunch of Veteran Wolves.

General Zack Danger had done his duty to his country for over 20 years, trying to forget his mate that had been killed so long ago. Their kids were all grown now, so he spent most of his time at the club, trying to help others after stepping down as Alpha of the pack, now Alpha for the VFW-Wolves International.

My Review

There were two novellas in this book so I'm going to do mini reviews for both of them here. 

The Cupid Crush by Lia Violet

So Cupid is actually a bunch of shifters. Ha! Who knew? So Mack and his siblings are Cupid shifters and they go around throwing arrows at people with their bows which I thought was so darn cute. Lucy and her friends are making decorations for their un-valentine's day party and for the VFW Cupid's Dance Veteran Fundraiser. Mack spots Lucy and it doesn't take long before he knows that she's his mate. She finds out what he is when his wings sprout from his back when he has to save her from danger. Things really take off from there. This was a sweet, quick read. 

Cupid Hits the Local VFW by Trinity Blacio

Red Riding was 58 years old now and widowed with adult kids. She wants to volunteer for something but is caught off guard when the guy at the volunteer agency sends her to volunteer at the local VFW...for retired wolf shifter veterans. I mean, how fun is that! Red Riding and the big bad wolf! Ha! So when Red Riding meets General Zack Danger, he knows right away that she is his mate and gets possessive right away. But Red is no push over for a wolf shifter. There's danger because of some idiot and Zack knows he has to keep Red and her kids safe until the criminal is found. Red could be in real danger so she takes the help and finds that she is more than a little attracted to Zack and can feel the pull of the mate bond between them. This was such a fun novella. I had such a good time with this one. The story premise just made me laugh. Red Riding falls for a wolf shifter. Too fun. 

I give this book 4 out 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an ARC via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Review: Unforgotten by Cassie Laelyn (The Fallen Guardians Book 2)

Book Description

Fate offers no mercy. Especially not to those who betray her.

Lethal Guardian Aric's loyalty never falters. Not even when Fate exiled him and his brothers from the Heavens, separating Aric from his soulmate. He'll do anything to reunite with her. But when Willow suddenly appears in the mortal realm, Aric's greatest fear comes true—she's no longer the angel he left behind.

Since Aric abandoned her, the Heavens have become Willow's personal Hell. Centuries of bitterness and hurt is a toxic combination. It even affects her angelic powers. When a Fallen offers Willow a chance to escape, she accepts. But shunning her connection to the Heavens comes at a cost.

In a twisted battle of loyalty, trust and hope, what price will two soulmates pay for a second chance at love?

My Review

Blaine spent his time trying to syphon the heavenly powers from angels since he fell from heaven. Once he had enough he could challenge Zath for the throne. Then he could get back to the angel he loved. 

Aric, Raven and the other Guardians had been sent to save Blaine but Aric had left his soulmate in heaven and he planned to return to her at some point. Willow got tired of waiting and Blaine talked her into becoming a Fallen as well. Blaine said he would be at the gates of Hell to bring her back to the mortal realm before Zath could get to her but when she got there, Blaine never showed up and Zath got a hold of her. Zath found Willow and tortured her, taking her wings. 

This is the second book in the Fallen Guardians series and maybe I should have read the first book before this one because I was lost. But I don't know if it was because I hadn't read the first book, there are so many characters and so many things have already happened that weren't thoroughly explained. So I did feel a little lost but I liked the story so I kept reading and hoped that things would become more clear, which they did a little. 

Something was clearly wrong with Willow after she became a Fallen. When Aric and Blaine figure out what the problem is and how to fix it, this story picks up pace and became a lot more interesting. 

This was an interesting read about angels, fate, guardians and the fallen. The romance was sweet and the storyline was an interesting one but the pacing was a little slow. It might have been better had I read the first book so I recommend reading this series in order. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Disease X by N.J. Croft

Book Description

A plane carrying a Russian biochemist crashes in the Alaskan wilderness with no survivors.

A dying billionaire launches a final fight against death amid whispers of a now defunct military bioweapon: Project Snowcap.

The world's leading CRISPR virologist, Doctor Elijah Vance, hovers on the edge of a breakthrough that will alter humanity at its most fundamental level.

And in a remote village in Mexico, an unknown disease is spreading.

Following the death of his missionary parents to an ebola outbreak when he was a young child, Eli has dedicated his life to finding a cure for all viruses. Drafted onto the WHO Fast Response Team sent to lock down a possible outbreak in Mexico, he realizes that this is the big one they've been waiting for. Disease X: the unknown pathogen with the potential to destroy mankind.

It's a battle of man against virus. And we're losing. As the deaths mount and civilization breaks down, the team must race against the clock to connect the clues and uncover patient zero. But Eli is unprepared for the shocking secrets he exposes when the truth is finally revealed.

My Review

While this isn't my usual genre of book, I like the disease outbreak type of books and movies and with the Coronavirus in the news right now it seemed like a good time to read this type of book. 

This book starts off with a plane crash ten years before and then in present day there are small outbreaks of some virus all over the world and people start dying. Doctors and scientists start getting more worried as more and more cases of this new virus start turning up. This book shows that a virus that spreads really fast can take over an entire village and if one person gets out after spending time with someone in the village and travels back home by plane, the results can be disastrous. 

I thought I knew where this story was going but then we get thrown this huge twist and it just went in a totally different direction. Eli is a scientist and Riley works for the military and they meet in Mexico where they try and figure out how this village got infected and why once you're infected, you die. 100% mortality rate is bad, really bad and when people all around the world start showing up infected, it only gets worst. These two end up working closely together and there's even a little romance between them which I wasn't expecting in this book but I liked. Eli and his team have to find out where this virus started and how to stop it but while searching for answers, they uncover secrets they never saw coming.

This book was one of those keep you on the edge of you seat type stories and made my heart break at certain times. It's been a while since I read a book like this but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book vie NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"The Kissing Booth is now open"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of Anisah Grace Hanna*

Apartment Life #121

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

Here's another picture taken from my bedroom window. I must have the exact right apartment to get all the pictures I do. lol So this week 2 police cars showed up across the street from my apartment building. We had heard some yelling going on across the street earlier and then some woman started screaming when one of the guys that lives over there came out with a gun. He didn't point it at anyone that we saw but he held it down by his side as he was screaming back and forth with the screaming woman's husband. Someone yelled they were calling the cops and he went back inside. No one was arrested that I saw and the police left a little while after they got there.

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Review: Target Beauty Box- February

Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. These boxes go fast so I try to grab one as soon as I see it being talked about on Twitter or fb. They are $7 a piece and usually well worth the price. This month they had two boxes and I got them both. 

First up is the Self Love box which included: 

Que Bella Radiance Boost Shimmering Cream Face Mask. 

Pacifica Island Vanilla perfume hair and body mist. 

Aveeno moisturing CICA balm. 

Yuni My OM World Calming Body Mist. 

Village Naturals muscle relief mineral bath soak. 

Masque Bar silver foil peel off mask. 

TwelveNYC bright eye cooling gel eye pads. 

The eye gel pads are reusable. You put them in the fridge or freezer for an hour and put them on your eyes. I will say that it felt good. It didn't do anything for the puffiness under my eyes, I think that's a permanent fixture for me but I am now 50 years old last week so puffy eyes is is just something I'll have to deal with n my old age. lol 

I actually really liked everything else. The vanilla perfume spray smells so good and the calming body and pillow mist is so clean smelling. I'm pretty happy with everything. 

The second box is the Pucker Up box. Here's what was in it: 

TwelveNYC Perfect pouting cooling lip mask. 

Dr. Bonner lip balm in peppermint. 

Burt's Bees moisturizing lip mask. 

Milani matte lipstick. 

Burt's Bees lip shimmer. 

Soap & Glory lip plumper. 

Let's talk about that lip plumper first...I put it on and immediately I felt like I had just smeared hot sauce all over my lips. Whew buddy! But I kept it on to see if it plumped my lips since I normally have thin lips and I didn't see any difference. So if you're looking for a little pain with your lip gloss, this is the one for you. 

The Milani matte lipstick is great, I loved that color. Another lip balm is always ok with me. One day I might show you all my lip balm collection. lol Is there a 12 step program for lip balm hoarders? 

The cooling lip mask is reusable. You just put it in the fridge or freezer for an hour before you use it and it's supposed to be soothing. It was soothing, ice cold gel mask on the lips does feel good, not gonna lie. 

The Burt's Bees lip shimmer is just a touch of shimmer with a touch of pink color. I like it. It's a nice color. I haven't used the moisturizing lip mask yet. 

I liked most of everything that was in this box with the exception of that lip plumper. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

Samples from Pinchme including ...
A Slimfast bar.
Quewel eye patches.
2 Airheads candies.

The Slimfast bar was what I expected it would be. Not very tasty.  The eye patches are the eye gels that go under the eyes. They don't do anything even though I know this kind of thing is popular right now. I don't see why.

I had just bought some airheads so this was a ice surprise.

Last Friday I told you that I won a Macy's gift card. Well here's my Macy's haul. It was all free since I got the gift card by cashing out my points on a survey site. 

I bought....

Nyx Professional Makeup Mineral Finishing Powder. 

NYX Professional Makeup 3-Pc. Best of Prep + Set Vault Set. The set included NYX Professional Makeup Pore Filler. NYX Professional Makeup Matte Setting Spray. NYX Professional Makeup HD Setting Powder. 

NYX Professional Makeup Bare With Me Multitasking Spray.

Tarte Cue The Confetti Eyeshadow Palette.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, Trial-Size. 

3 samples of perfume. 

Aromatique Holiday Wax Melt Cubes

FREE Trial-Size Haleys BB Drops With Any $50 Select Beauty Purchase!

Everything except for the eyeshadow palette are things that I've bought before and liked. I like to just buy the things I use the most with these gift cards that way I don't run out. 

I've bought a few Tarte Palettes and have been loving them so when I saw this one, I had to get it too. Tarte eyeshadows blend so easily and the colors are so pretty. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Gray Wolf Mate by Dianna Love

Book Description

New York Times Bestseller Dianna Love has created a unique shifter series with immortals, mages, witches and ... sexy badass shifters.

Shifters came out to the public eight years ago and, since then, the world has never been the same for many.

Tess Janver and Cole Cavanaugh fell deeply in love in college ... then he disappeared without a word. She feared the worst, or thought she had. After seven years, he returns as a beefed up version of his former self. That’s not the only thing different. As someone working in a preternatural criminal investigation unit and the daughter of a senator determined to rid the world of dangerous shifters, Tess is caught between performing her duty to humans, protecting the only family she has left and risking her heart to a man who once destroyed it.

Cole had no choice in becoming a Gallize shifter, a secret group of apex predators at the top of the food chain for their kind, and now faces a deadline from a fatal mating curse he can’t stop. The only woman he’s ever loved is human and wouldn’t survive bonding with him. He never planned on Tess finding out he was a wolf shifter, but she’s in danger from a rogue pack. He’s not leaving until she’s safe ... and he has a chance to redeem himself in her eyes before his time is up.

Enjoy a fast-paced, high-action romantic tale. Each book in the series is a stand alone.

My Review 

Cole found out when he was still a teenager that he was a wolf shifter. Now he works for a secret organization to keep people safe. He ended up leaving the only woman he's ever loved but he had plans to go and tell her the truth before his wolf took over and he had to be put down for good. 

Tess has always been a bit strange because of a secret she has. But things really start to go south when Cole leaves her without a backwards glace and shifters come out to the human population that they exist. When her mother is killed by shifters, her whole world changes. 

Cole is running out of time because of the mating curse. If he doesn't find his mate and have her accept him, his wolf will take over for good and he'll have to be put down because his wolf is too dangerous to be let loose. But when he gets held by an organization that wants answers from him that he can't give, he finds that Tess works for them. When he escapes with the help of his teammates he finds out that Tess is in danger from some shifters so he now has to go to her and try to keep her safe. 

This book had the most ridiculously romantic ending and I loved it. Cole's teammates are great and so is their leader. I'm really looking forward to getting to know more of the secondary characters in the next books because there are some really interesting ones. I loved the world building so that we got a good picture of what was going on in this world and the people in it. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book now. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Sixx by Cara Bristol

Book Description

Single alien dad needs a mate with some moxie.

Software developer Moxie Maguire has a BIG dream—save enough money to start her own video game company. That’s why she logs fourteen hours days working for an obnoxious boss. But when life seems to be passing her by, she sets another goal—meet Mr. Right, a man who can support her dream. She joins the Intergalactic Dating Agency and is matched with a hot and horned alien named…Sixx. Sexy as heck, a good listener, family-oriented—he’s the perfect man to share a life with.

If only that life was on Earth.

Sixx has a dream, too. Find a mate, settle down, and raise kits. With females in short supply on his planet, this single dad heads for Earth to get a female and get back to Dakon and his young son. The instant he meets Moxie, he recognizes she’s his Fated Mate. They’re meant to be together.

But he won’t abandon his child. And, unfortunately, his planet has even fewer computers than females. One for the entire planet, to be exact.

Will two Fated Mates have to part? Or can they find a way to work it out?

My Review

Moxxie is a game designer and since she spends most of her time at work and doesn't spend a lot of time going out, she decides to sign up at the Intergalactic Dating Agency.  

Sixx had been in a relationship on his planet that produced a child but his ex left him for someone else and since Dakonians usually mate for life, there was no chance that another female would consider him now. So he decides to come to Earth and be matched with a female that will come back to Dakon with him.

They seem to hit it off right from the start which is good but things get awkward when she finds out he wants her to come back to his planet. Their dates kept getting interrupted by her boss constantly calling her. When weird things start happening at work and she keeps finding herself in danger, it's Sixx that comes to her rescue. But even though she and Sixx hit it off really well when they meet and get to know one another, Sixx can't stay on Earth because he has a son back on Dakon. With only one computer on Dakon, Moxie can't see herself living there when she wants to be a game designer.

I really liked Sixx, he's such a great guy so I was sad when it looked like things weren't going to work out for them. But thankfully they do come to a compromise and they find a way to make things work. I can't imagine going to another planet to live but Earth women keep jumping at the chance to go there even though it's really cold. The guys are hot and nice so they do have great reasons to take the chance. 

This was a fun story with a bit of a mystery as to what was going on at her work that put her in danger. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: The Demigod Complex by Abigail Owen

Book Description

When Lyleia Naiad was head-hunted by Brimstone, Inc., for her job as Executive Assistant to a high-powered billionaire demigod, she was given one directive—do NOT fall in love with Castor Dioskouri. Doesn’t matter if he’s the son of Zeus and can electrify a room with a single glance. As an ex-nymph, she possesses a unique ability—a gift from the goddesses to protect nymphs from the randy gods—to resist her boss's charms.

Or so she thought.

He insists she accompany him to an alpha wolf shifter mating ceremony, an event where the pheromones fly, and so do clothes...and inhibitions.

Goddesses save her, because Castor has stolen into Lyleia’s heart, and she’s not so sure she can hold out much longer...

My Review

Lyleia is Castor's executive assistant and she's also a nymph but she lost her spring (powers) because she was betrayed. She still has the power to resist the pull of any supernaturals but she still feels attracted to Castor who is a demigod. 

Castor needs Lyleia to accompany him to a mating ceremony and be a buffer for him since these things end up making all involved, even the guests feel very much like having sex and he's hoping that having her there with him will keep the females away. 

Castor is a demigod, son of Zeus. He's been sorta lusting after Leia which is weird since he hasn't felt much in the love department in a while, but his heart is telling him that there's something real between them, he just has to make her believe it too. 

Going to the mating ceremony proved to be a bad decision as someone from her past was there and he wanted her dead. She thought she had a stalker, someone who had been breaking into her apartment and now she knew for sure who it was. When Castor finds out who is after her and why, his protective instincts take over and he helps her. He's a demigod so he pretty powerful and if she's to fight this person and win, she'll need his help in the end. 

Because of the danger, the pheromones at the mating ceremony and the lust they already felt for each other that they've held back for so long, when they finally give into what they feel it was quite powerful. Their romance is sweet and hot. I laughed so many times during this book because of something that one of them would say and I love when a book can make me laugh. This was a fun book to read and a great way to start off a new series. I look forward to reading more now. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book for free in exchange for a review via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of Anisah Grace Hanna*

"I helped myself to a little popcorn."

*Picture courtesy of Mary Kirkland*

When my rat, Lucky turned a year old, I made him a cake and a birthday hat and we shared a piece of cake. (2012)

Apartment Life #120

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

Ken called me in from the bedroom when he heard shouting outside and I got there in time to get a picture of the police car parked in front of our bedroom window. He said two police officers had got out and ran towards the office courtyard so I took Falcor for a walk and heard a lot of shouting coming from an apartment in that courtyard but when the police came out they were alone and didn't arrest anyone. So I don't know what went on or why the police were called. But they did show up for something. Hey, at least it wasn't my courtyard this time it was one courtyard over but still in my apartment complex. 

Now for something truly funny. I found yet another notice on my door this week but this time our apartment management company is offering people who live here a $200 incentive to get their friends and family to move here. I think it's hilarious that they think anyone who lives here would suggest a place that has the cops here several times a week, drug dealers, homeless and drug addicts walking around causing drama and fights with other residents. If anything, I would tell my friends and family not to move here. lol I just can't make this stuff up. Good grief.

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Review: Passion Surge by Cynthia Sax

Book Description

This cyborg never expected to become an instant father.

***

Surge is fascinated with newly manufactured offspring. He has studied them extensively, was one of the few medics present when the very first freeborn cyborg entered the universe.

He's currently assigned to a battle station with an all-male crew. The probability of tending to an offspring is a dismal 0.0000 percent.

That changes when an unknown ship ventures into the sector they're protecting.

Nu is an extremely exhausted single mom with a fussy newborn daughter. She has no time or energy for anyone or anything else. That includes a cyborg medic with gentle hands, brilliant blue eyes, and a voice deeper than space.

He claims she's his female, the one being genetically designed for him. She has heard those types of declarations in the past.

Only a warrior without equal--and some much-needed rest--would prompt this universe-weary mom to believe in romantic love again.

***

Passion Surge is a short, light, companion story in the Cyborg Space Exploration series and is meant to be read after Doc's Orders.

It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance featuring a medic cyborg, an extremely exhausted single mom, and the adorable little reason for her lack of sleep.

My Review

Surge is a medic cyborg working on a ship when his ship comes across another ship about to cross into cyborg territory. The female on the ship was trying to quiet a baby but wasn't having an easy time of it. Surge realizes as soon as he see's her that she is his mate and makes plans to help her. 

She's been lied to by her baby's father so she isn't quick to trust Surge. So Surge goes about showing her that he means to stay with her and not leave her like the last guy and slowly Nu comes to trust him. Surge is happy to have found Nu and her baby because now she is his mate and he has a daughter to care for. The other cyborg's on his ship are looking for their mates but they may never find them. So when a cyborg does find his female, it's a special occasion. 

I loved the other cyborg's, they were so happy for Surge and welcomed Nu and the baby with open arms. It was so touching to see how happy they were around the baby. 

While this was a really quick read, just 72 pages, it was a sweet romance that touched my heart. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

A $50 Macy's gift card via e-Rewards.

I cashed out my points on e-Rewards and got a Macy's gift card this week. Once all of my products are delivered I'll do a Macy's haul and review. I didn't receive any other freebies or samples this week.

Did you receive any free samples or freebies this week?

Review: The Pain Eater by Courtney Diles

Book Description

Roxie Maeda is a college senior who hears voices in her head. When she first sees the demonic creature haunting her crush, she blows it off as a hallucination, but then it shows up in her Psych class, visible to everyone.

Its appearance triggers a police search of the campus, which reveals a bag of guns right outside the classroom. Someone was planning to shoot up the school. Over time, the creature discloses that he is a pain eater—a cursed, undead human who eats pain demons that arise from injuries, taking the pain into himself.

His selflessness sways her, and she befriends him only to fall in love. Together, they resolve to break his curse and save Prometheus University from its unknown attacker.

My Review

Roxie deals with her mental illness where she hears voices along with other problems. Her father is an alcoholic so he's of no help to her. 

Teddy is Roxie's neighbor and he just came back home after losing a leg in the Marines. No one but Roxie knows about his prosthesis and for now he wants to keep it that way. 

Roxie began seeing a figure all in black, even his head was covered. But he would open his mouth and scream for no reason. She felt like it was a hallucination until everyone in her classroom saw it too. The figure pops up out of no where and started leaving her little messages that he wasn't going to hurt her. He even gave her a letter explaining that he was a pain eater, a thing that eats pain demons who cause humans pain. Essentially the pain eater took away the pain that the pain demons gave them and the dark figure's name was Eli. He went on to tell her that he made himself visible because someone in the classroom had been planning an attack that could still happen. 

Eli becomes her friend after she experiences a tragedy and has no one else to turn to for support. They spend a lot of time together and she finds out a lot about him and the others like him. There are other kinds of creatures too. Some that give you adrenaline, some that take your memories and some that make you hear voices, just to name a few. 

Eli and Roxie are there for each other when bad things keep happening and Eli has to keep eating the pain that others are feeling because of the bad things that happen. At first I thought that Teddy and Roxie were going to be a couple but they just end up being friends while Eli and Roxie get a lot closer and start to have feelings for one another. It was strange to have a human have feelings for what is described several times as a demon or looking like a monster. When Eli does reveal himself to a couple of people, their reaction is enough to make me realize that he must look really terrifying. So to have Roxie fall for him, he must have a really big heart which he does. 

Every time I thought I knew where this story was going, a new twist would be thrown in to show me how wrong I was. That made this book even better and more exciting. I never knew what was going to happen next or who the bad guy was at her school until it was revealed. I was on the edge of my seat with this one. This was a different kind of paranormal romance with characters that I've never read about before which I seriously liked. The characters were original, the romance was sweet and the action and danger was exciting. 

If you've ever read a book that surprised you in a good way and you just want to tell everyone to read it because you can't put into words how good it was, this was one of those books for me.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Review: Molten Dusk by Karissa Laurel

Book Description

While recovering from a devastating betrayal, Solina becomes increasingly drawn to Thorin as he helps her hunt down Skoll, the mythical wolf who vowed to kill her. If she can find and destroy the beast, she’ll bring a swift and brutal end to her enemies’ schemes. But nothing ever goes as planned in Solina’s strange new world.

During her search for Skoll, Solina uncovers a plot to unleash a battalion of legendary soldiers and launch an apocalyptic war. Before she and her allies can locate the fabled army, several ghosts from her past return to haunt her. Solina must fight for life and the fate of the world, or her hopes for love and a peaceful future will go up in flames.

My Review

Solina is still getting over the huge betrayal she was faced with in the last book and everyone seems to be giving her the space she needs, at least for a while. On more than one occasion she and Thorin find themselves in danger and even though Thorin wants her to stay safe, she puts her life on the line for him more than once. Solina is definitely more kick-ass than I gave her credit for in the first book. She's grown a lot and can handle her powers a little better now. 

While she and Thorin are spending more time together, Baldur is trying to spend time with Nina ever since he found her. Nina isn't what I expected her to be at all and I thought she would betray them the first chance she got. I didn't like or trust her. But it must be really weird to have some stranger come and tell you that you're the reincarnation of his dead wife and he's a norse god. 

Throughout this trilogy I've been rooting for Thorin and Solina to finally get together. While reading this third and final book in the series, I found myself thinking about that song, "Kiss The Girl" from The Little Mermaid because Solina and Thorin fought their attraction for each other throughout this series and I just wanted to see them together already. Good grief man, make a move already! lol But it was obvious that both of them had strong feelings for the other since they kept saving each others life over and over again. So it was awesome when they finally let their feelings be known. They do make a great couple though so I was happy they finally let their guards down enough to get to this spot. 

Solina, Thorin and Baldur have to find the bad guys and there never seems to be an end to the people that want them dead. Skyla finally finds out all the secrets surrounding her life and who she is which was truly mind boggling. There were so many secrets floating around in this book, so many twists and turns but that just made this more interesting. 

I almost felt bad for Val, the reason he was so upset because of what had been done to him was truly awful. What he did to get revenge was bad too though so I was conflicted about how I felt about him and what he made Solina do. It was just sad really. 

While I usually read a romance centered book, this one had enough action, twists and exciting storyline that it kept me engaged. If you enjoy norse mythology, you might like this one. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Daily Goodie Box- February

The Daily Goodie Box has been around since about July of 2016. I signed up for an account right after I heard about them. They are 100% free, you don't even have to pay for shipping. And for a free box it's a nice sampler box of products.

What did I get in this box?

Coco Luxe - Hydration-  I love these coconut water packs. I've received this 2 months in a row and love them. If you've ever had the water in a fresh coconut, that's what this is and it's delicious. 

Flathau’s Fine Foods - Cheese Straws- So the package said these were made with a tiny kiss of chipotle... it must have been a french kiss because they are spicy! My poor sensitive tongue could not take the spice. Otherwise they are flavorful. 

Eco Lips - MONGO KISS™ Lip Balm- I received Vanilla Honey and Yumberry and I love both of them. It smells delicious and works well as a lip balm. I have a very large assortment of lip balms. Can you be a lip balm hoarder because I may need a 12 step program. But these are seriously great. 

Nature Nate's - Raw Unfiltered Honey- So here's when my weirdness comes out to play...I don't like honey because it's essentially bee vomit. Think about it. But I'm not a total wimp so I tasted the honey when my husband used it in his coffee and it tastes like honey, If you like honey, then this is honey. Ken said that he liked it. 

Natralia - Anti-Itch Soothing Cream-  I've used this before, I'm almost out of the other tube of this that I had because it does work to sooth itchy skin. I get prickly heat on my neck during the Summers here in Vegas where it can get to 118F. I've used this for quite a while and think it works really well. And I like that it's a good size package that it comes in so I'm not gonna run out for a while. 

Skinny Crisps - Gourmet Crackers-  I received the Chocolate Mint crackers and they are so good. They taste like pieces of crunchy brownie bites. They are so good and chocolaty. 

Pure LYFT - All Natural Caffeine Powder-  Ken tried this because he drinks more caffeine drinks than I do and he said he did feel a slight caffeine kick to them. He said the flavors are pretty good and would be fine instead of a cup of coffee. 

All they ask you to do is try the products and leave reviews for the products you got in order to be eligible for more Free Goodie Boxes. As you guys already know, I'm a fan of all these types of boxes. I love all the different subscription boxes and it's really nice to be able to try new to me products for free. This is a great box to try for.

Oh and one more thing, if you visit their FB Page, they give away Goodie Boxes to people who interact with their posts. So if you've tried before and weren't able to get a Goodie Box, there's even more ways to get one now.

Daily Goodie Box. It's more than just Free Samples!

Have you signed up? Have you received one of these boxes?

I'm a fan of subscription boxes and love trying new products for free so this was a huge hit with me. New products+free box = Fabulous!

Disclosure: I was given and free box in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own.

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Anisah Grace Hannah* @RatzFurever

Photographer: " Say cheese!"

                               Rat: "Cheeese...and crackers."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"By the way, my name is Bean"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*